Product Description

Hive pocket is the very same wonderful game we all love, but in a compact version. With all its pieces in a portable small cloth bag, this game can provide fun just about anywhere! This edition includes two bonus pieces, “The Mosquito” and “Ladybug,” expansions to the game which provide additional hours of fun!

The object: To surround your opponent’s queen bee while trying to block your opponents from doing the same. Each player has 13 tiles; representing different insects. Each insect has a unique way of moving (as in chess) and resembles the movement of the insect depicted on the tile. Content: 26 Hexagonal tiles Rules Cloth bag.

Product Reviews

I received Hive Carbon as a Christmas gift this year (2011) from a friend and we
haven't stopped playing! The game has many similarities to chess (e.g. both are
abstract strategy games that help develop critical thinking skills), yet the rules
are simple enough that Hive Carbon can be learned to play in as little as 5 minutes.
The pieces are made of bakelite and are durable. Game play lasts around 10 minutes.
The inclusion of the mosquito and the ladybug makes Hive Carbon a better buy than
Hive. The game is portable and is a fantastic pub game. If you enjoy abstract
strategy games that you can take anywhere, Hive Carbon is a must buy!!!

This is good stuff… really good… pure strategy and tactics… no
luck here. Like chess the opening is all about strategy. Which
pieces will you bring out first and where will you place them. The
middle game is the battle, one that usually goes back and forth
several times. Often you will think you have it won… but then find
you lack the fire-power… coming up one piece short of making
the final kill. And the end game is pure tactics… a blunder against
a better player, and you will lose. This game has become one of
our favorite lunch-time games at work. It’s awesome… it’s deep…
the more you play (like chess) the more you see how good this
game really is. And it plays in 20-30 minutes which makes it
excellent for those times when you do not have a lot of time (like
lunch). It is also easy to transport, plays almost anywhere, and
the Bakelite pieces are of the highest quality (thick and heavy…
they feel good in your hands and stay-put on the table)… what
more can I say?

Any good board game normally has simple rules, but is built in such a
way that it is not obvious how to build a winning strategy.

This game is quite the opposite.

As you can see from the picture, there are 5 different creatures, each
has its own rules how it can move during the game, plus the game has
its own constraints such as the hive has to be connected at all times.
The only thing that is not taken into consideration when you make a
move is maybe the layout of stars in the sky.

So after you spent 15 minutes reading the rules, and another hour
trying to explain it to your kids, you get to play maybe 10 or 15
times, and by then all players have pretty much figured out the
winning strategy. Because of the constraint that the hive has to be
connected at all times, you use your ant to lock in the enemy bee, and
then you can tell exactly in how many turns you win. First player who
can do it wins. This is normally player 1 unless you are new to the game.

You then use the two other ants to make it impossible for the bee to
escape; you use your choice of grasshoppers or spiders to take the
remaining 2 squares. Once you started winning, the fact of it is
obvious to both players, and nothing can be done about it. You have
about 8 more turns before the end of the game, and it is clear who
won, so you just stop the game at that point.

The author spent too much time trying to come up with a set of
complicated rules, and it still doesn't give any flexibility to the game.

The only good thing about this game is maybe the quality of porcelain
pieces - they feel really good in your hand. But of course there is no
much use of it since the game is quite unplayable.

Hive is an abstract game of placement for two people. Each uses 11 hexagonal pieces, which are made of smooth wood about 1 cm in thickness and which provide a quality feel to the game. The eleven pieces are a queen, 3 ants, 3 grasshoppers, 2 spiders and 2 beetles. Each player has an identical set that is distinguished by the background colour of the sticky label (which is already attached to the wood when you get your game). While they look pleasant on a display -- metallic silver and metallic blue -- under fluorescent light they can be hard to tell apart. [Funagain Editor's Note: This issue has been resolved in the second edition of the game; the material and construction of the pieces is the same as before, but the tiles are now nonrefelective and the colors are thus easily distinguished.]

The game is played with each player playing one piece at a time and the object is to capture your opponent's queen. This is achieved when the queen is surrounded by pieces, and mainly this will be with your pieces. Each type of insect has its own movement rules. For example, once placed the grasshopper can jump to a vacant space along a straight row of joined pieces, while the ant scoots around the edge of the pieces to a new position, a move that is incredibly good at times. Except for the first turn, when pieces are first placed on the board, they must only touch their own colour. When they move (on a subsequent turn) they must form one continent, i.e. all pieces must be linked somehow. Your queen has to be played during the first four turns and this is also a telling time, as it can end up in the middle of a load of pieces and be "in check" early on, or find itself stranded at the edge of the developing continent and unprotected.

The game reminds me of the old Hartland Trefoil classic (sadly, out of print now) called Ancient Kingdoms. This game was about hexagonal tile placement and movement of pieces and was for 2 to 5 players. But it had a similar feel to it as pieces were moved into better positions.

The rulebook is extraordinarily good: the colours match the colours of the pieces, there are good examples and the clarity of the rules is first class. Why comment on this? Well, since this is a first production you do not normally get either this attention to detail or this quality. It all comes at a cost of course. The game is 20 in the UK, but if you are at all interested in abstract games, then you should consider this. It plays quickly, has an addictive quality and, with so many options in the play, does not have a perfect strategy or set so many initial moves.

After several games now, I am uncertain about the position of the first player. We have had more first player wins than second, but this is simply resolved by reversing the order in the next turn. It could be argued that the second player can counter any move by the first player, but I haven't played sufficiently to guarantee that this is the best way of playing second. (The website says that there is no advantage in going first, but I can only comment on the games I have played so far.) Like chess, there is plenty of room for analysis. Personally, the rule I like the best is that all pieces have to be in contact. This makes for some interesting plays as the continent stretches out.

The game is readily available in England and also from the www.hivemania.com website, which itself is well constructed and will provide sufficient further information for you to follow up this review. Some of the site is still under construction, but there are some pictures of the prices, which are useful to see.

The cover of the game says, "Hive is a game crawling with possibilities". This set my mind working to the various puns that could be used in the game. The best I came up with was an "all ant attack", but working with insects I'm sure you will do better.

While I do not rush to get abstract games, this one has more appeal than most, plays quickly and is well produced. I would recommend adding it to your collection, even if you only have a casual interest in abstract games.

Hexagonal tiles show your creepy-crawly warriors: Ants, Grasshoppers, Spiders, Beetles and Queen Bee. Players in turn form a turbulent hive of insects by laying a piece adjacent to others. After the Queen Bee is placed (no later than the fourth turn), turns may consist of moving placed insects. Queen Bees move one space, and Spiders three spaces, around the hive's edge. Beetles move one space, and may jump onto an adjacent insect, thereby immobilizing it. Ants move anywhere they please around the hive. Grasshoppers jump over one or more pieces. Insects cannot move if they would split the hive into several sections. You win by surrounding the enemy Queen Bee; its adjacent friendly insects contribute to its defeat. This game's chess-like strategy will leave you itching to explore more of its subtleties.